Warriors: New recruit Alofiana Khan-Pereira thrilled by NRL impact against former club

More than an hour after the final whistle on Saturday night, Warriors wing Alofiana Khan-Pereira was still grinning from ear to ear.

And with good reason. With friends and family in the grandstand, the 24-year-old had just scored two tries on his home debut for the Auckland club.

To add to the joy, his brace came in a 28-20 win over his former team the Gold Coast Titans, to cap off a near perfect night.

“It’s the best, man,” Khan-Pereira told the Herald, as he stood in the packed Warriors gymnasium. “It’s awesome to go against your old club and definitely put it on them and score a couple of tries. It was just amazing.”

Khan-Pereira was a high-profile off-season recruit, brought in to add pace and spark to the Warriors backline.

He had to bide his time, as he started the season in reserve grade, behind Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck for a wing spot. But he impressed insiders with his attitude and commitment across the pre-season and has seemed to quickly gel with the squad.

“Coming to a new club none of the boys knew who I was or know my work ethic,” Khan-Pereira said. “So I really wanted to display that with the opportunity that I have. I wanted to earn the boys’ respect and be consistent with that.”

Khan-Pereira made his first bow in Melbourne last week, before getting the start again versus the Titans. He was solid against the Storm – impressing with his hunger to get involved – but found more open territory on Saturday, flashing in for his first-half brace.

The second was an out-of-this-world finish, as he flew through the air before contorting his body to force the ball just inside the corner post.

“Man, that was crazy,” Khan-Pereira said. “I couldn’t believe how high I got when I looked back at it. It was pretty incredible, wasn’t it? It’s something that we pride ourselves on, our finishes. Dallin does some crazy finishes as well, so he helps me a lot.”

Khan-Pereira was part of a slick left-edge effort in the first half, as neat passing from Chanel Harris-Tavita and Tuivasa-Sheck made a fraction of space, from which the wing was good enough to take advantage. He is enjoying the opportunity to play outside Tuivasa-Sheck, as the former captain has made the switch back to centre for now.

“It’s such a new combo we wanted to focus on how we both work and what works for him and what works for me,” Khan-Pereira said. “It’s not every day you get to play outside of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck [so] that’s a massive honour in itself and I just want to do the best I can.”

Tuivasa-Sheck was an idol growing up for Khan-Pereira, who admits he was “starstruck” when he first arrived for pre-season.

“I still pinch myself just being at training with some of the boys, like Rog and Dallin,” said Khan-Pereira.

But Khan-Pereira now has a chance to make a name for himself in Auckland.

He acquitted himself well at the Titans – with 53 tries in 55 appearances across three seasons – but was often in a struggling team.

He was energetic and strong in Melbourne and added flash and dash this week, though the Gold Coast scored twice on his edge during their late flurry.

“He’s doing well,” coach Andrew Webster said. “He’s fitted in; he’s bought into what we’re doing. He’ll be really proud of some moments on Saturday, really good finishes but he’s got high standards and he’ll have a look at some things that he’d want to improve on, like all the boys.”

Webster pointed out that facing your former club can be difficult, in the desperation to stamp your mark on the contest.

“Everyone always thinks it’s this great motivation playing your old team but [players] they probably often get it wrong because they’re overthinking it,” Webster said.

“We had a good chat with Lofi this week because it wouldn’t have been easy. He’s been there since he was a kid, so I’m pleased for him that he gets to celebrate, along with Tanah Boyd and Erin Clark.”

Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.